brobanfandomcom-20200213-history
Taigmair; History
This is a brief history of the Taigmair: ' The Taigmair region of the world has long been inhabited by humanity. It once was the most powerful nation in the northern circle. However like all great nations its fall was as meteroic as its rise. 'Pre history: The first settling in the region was by Althusthal people and although very little is known about them, it is evident that while few in number, they were advanced enough to have simple metal working knowledge. Even now, b ronze artifacts are recovered occasionally bearing the distinctive dotted wave pattern that these early settlers favoured. Althusthal settlers are known to have reached as far north as Tilgashot where a grand burian cairn was identified as belonging to an Althusthal cheiftan. The grave goods that were recovered included vases in the typical style, a horse shaped amulet, several stamped discs of various soft metals and a bronze axe head with an intricately worked pattern of a boat on the flat of the head. Its not known exactly why the Althusthal people disappeared but it is speculated that it was due to a series of hard winters destroying a culture more suited to less harsh conditions. Settlers in the Taigmair did not occur again until the first Northmen made the region their home. This is estimated to be as many as 400 years after the Althusthal peoples had disappeared and is indicative of how harsh the conditions in the Taig were at that point in time. Slowly the short ice age came to a close and normal life returned to the Taig. 'Civilisation in the Taig': The first agrarian civilisation we encounter in the Taigmair was the Northman city of Dairn. It is believed by scholars that Dairn was located on the area of Taig now known as Aigshot, howvere unlike it's successor it was not a religious city. Dairn was a thriving, trade based civilisation which over the course of many hard winters had forced its neighbouring tribes into submission and thus assimilated their land into its own. This led them to holding much of the coast from Veian River all the way to where modern day Haltags town stands. Their level of advancement was such that they soon errected stone border guardians with inscribed warnings, letting all who passed them know they were entering the Dairnholt. Unfortunately for this particularly interesting civilisation, successful trading had made it a prize target for forces less interested in Dairnholt's steady profits and more intersted in creating short term gain. It is assumed that over the course of a single month, the civilisation of Dairn met its downfall and with it took much of the prowess of the Northman. Raiders from across the sea came in ships painted black, their faces grey and their hair white. The capital of the Dairnholt was sacked, its population put to the sword and its wealth taken. Many will naturally assume this to be an action of the Drussi; it was in fact blamed on them for many, many years and is often considered to be where the northern distrust of all Aelfin come from. However it appears that no Drussi bones or atrifacts have never been recovered from the site of Dairn, the only items that have since been found correspond more to the cultures of the seafaring - albeit much less known - Salisa culture of plainsmen, who inhabit the now peaceful southern regions of this continental shelf. 'Migration': Because of the irreprable damage done to their culture and an influx of more heavily-armed southern Plainsmen, the Northmen were slowly forced out of the Taigmair. This established the borders of the modern Taig and the Northmen were relegated to being a footnote in history. The invading Plainsmen were of several differnt cultures, tribes hailing from both the lands directly south of the Taig and from the east across the sea. Their cultures were already established and markedly varied. Both sets of Plainsmen settled the land in large numbers. Modern day towns, such as Ilagmem, Istarshot and Aigshot were constructed by these two groups of migrants, though it is not common knowledge. These mentioned towns were not the only settlements created, but many have since faded with history. It was during this time that the tribal "Banners" system first appeared. This unique code of communication came into use when various members of a tribe would spilt from the main group and form their own sub-sect. After settling in a new location, this new band would agree on a common signifier, icon or banner for their particular people, which made them easily identifiable as a new household yet displayed their heritage. Many different banners appeared in the early days and some of the more prominant ones scholars have identified are: The Jumping Fish, The Wolf Rampant, The Bone Crown and The Three-Bladed Flax. 'Council of the Gods:' It is widely believed that with the formation of the first Council of Gods came the start of recorded history, as evidence collected shows the use of the first sophisticated calendar. However, most if not all of the dates collected by scholars are inconsistant. What scholars do know is that at the start of the Council of the Gods era, the first Magii appear. It is understood from historical sources that initially these mysterious Magii were either Aelfin, or Plainsmen trained by the Aelfin. These Magii were swiftly absorbed into society and made themselves useful performing such skills as extracting metal from stones, growing specifically shaped wood or curing people of illnesses. Magii were incredibly useful to society, they helped civilisation advance at a great speed and laid the fountations for modern Taigmair. This was a time of grand enlightenment. Small country towns developed into intricate cities. Govermental systems were created and laws established in writing. At this point in Taigmair, seperate states sprang up throughout the region, yet the inhabitants were aware that they were all part of one larger nation. The Aelfin withdrew from society gradually until they were unseen in the Taigmair, however a small pocket remained trading at the port city of Tilgashot. It is believed that this decision by the Aelfin was partly to do with a lack of suitable partners (both business and pleasure) and also due to increasing differences of opinion between them and the Plainsmen Magii. The Geiss of Veiban This is the offical name of the written manifesto created by a group of Magii in what is commonly recorded as CoG 112. From the fragments recovered, scholars can infer that the Magii believed they were the direct conduits of a pantheon of gods. The Magii created this manifesto - also known as the Declaration - believing this to be for all levels of the population, not simply to curry favour with the ruling elite. Although the Geiss of Veiban was created and declared in the year 112 of the CoG era, it is commonly seen by scholars as the true start of the CoG. Prior to the Geiss of Veiban, the Magii could only influence the political leaders of the various banners, not enforce their will. However, after the Declaration, the Magii began to grasp the strings of power. The Declaration is initially dismissed by the majority of the populas in the Taig, especially within the cities. Over the course of a year, a full scale insurgency errupted between the Magii and the current rulers of the cities. Seeing their society falter, the rural population of the Taig rose up against the ruling banners and installed the Magii as protectors of the faith, simultaneously setting up the whole of the Taigmair into a democratic state. The Geiss of Veiban became the backdrop for the grand council of Magii, who oversaw all decisions made by the elected council. Life under the Veiban The Magii, now accepted as representatives of the gods, were expected by many to withdraw from their roles within the public service and adopt a more formal, ceremonial office. However the Veiban wanted to ensure that the Magii who served under it's name were still grounded in reality. To reaffirm their committment to the population and the Veiban, each Magii were required to spend one out of every five years indebted to the public service and the following year devoted to research. As a positive consequence, the productivity of the Taig increased markedly. Under the Veiban, Taigmair became better organised, better trained and with more emphasis channeled into researching, the Taigmar became the powerhouse of the Western continent. For Magii entering their one-year secondment within the public service, it was expected that a public project - such as water courses or baths - be undertaken and completed to an unspecified point. The cities were great sprawling masses of stone architecture, unwalled due to the lack of threats and the inhabitants' confidence in the Magii. This gave the Magii access to any resources they wished to utilise. The military of this time was not an offically established force. Instead, a small milita had formed over time and Magii would occasionally use their one-year secondment aiding this defacto police force, using their talents to catch criminals and dispense justice as was needed. The remnance of the Banners became hidden cults within society, usually recognised only by those of a similar Banner background. 33rd Census of Vekka The 33rd Census of Vekka is the only complete census successfully recovered during an archaeolgical exercise. Scholars were intrigued to find that with the completed census there were additional maps from the CoG era. There have been several forgeries and incomplete records excavated over the years, however the Vekka Census is regarded as the authority. The most commonly accepted theory is that the census itself is merely named "33rd" and that Vekka refers to the leader of the Magii at the time. Other unpopular theories claim that Vekka was not a Magii but a god of statistics, or Vekka was the name bequethed to the 33rd year of the CoG era from which the census was taken. It is impossible to determine which of these theories is correct, however the word Vekka has been located in other documents for various differing years of the CoG era. Below is a table outling the more intersting information recovered from the census and its additional maps: Ilagmem : 8,500 inhabitants counted. Ilagmem was noted for a great, conjoined shrine to the gods Dinac and Ulfac which lay upon the point the two rivers - bearing the gods' names respectively - met. Istarshot : 7,600 inhabitants counted. Istarshot was known for its blessed river waters. It was said if a person bathed in the waters by moonlight, they would attract the attention of the god Murimeah. Tilgashot : 5,100 inhabitants counted. The northernmost city was known for its fruitful trade in furs and rare materials from the northern wilderness. Aelfin ships were known to appear at the city occasionally, making it a bustling port. Taramem : 4,400 inhabitants counted. Initially made as a fortress city to control the water way. Although Taigmair only maintained a minimal military at this time in history, the majority was based here. Aigshot : 3,800 inhabitants counted. A holy city built around the Grand Temple of the Pantheon, which was the seat of Taigmar's Magii government. Much of the populace provided services for the holy men and women and the many pilgrims that frequented the city. Fallen Dreams For several years, the Taigmar prospered under the rule of the Magii. However, towards the end of the CoG era, the Magii began to seperate themselves from the duties expected of them, which they now considered "mundane." With the Magii beginning to crumble, the old Banners began to make themselves known once again to the population. The Magii - distracted by infightung among various theological factions - turned on each other in the names of their gods and forgot the needs of the common people. The Banners, sensing the mood of the population, seized their opportunity to regain power. Each banner aligned itself to a major god and the streets devolved into armed skirmishes, gang warfare and riots. These clashes lasted for many months until, from amongst the Magii, a sect emerged. The Falika Magii were a new and distinctly separate group from the traditional Magii. Falika Magii worshiped very different gods, believing that the blood shed during the Banner's clashes empowered them as avatars of the gods in the mortal realm. A wave of assasinations swept through the Magii ranks, decimating numbers and decapitating the current order in an attempt to strengthen the link between mortal and god. Temples were burnt and whole swathes of the population obliterated as either sacrifice or victims of skirmish. The Falika Magii supplanted the old order, yet they were not satisfied. Each Falika Magii carved out their own personal domains and grabbed hungrily for influence over the Banners, which ultimately decended into civil war. The civil war devestated the Taigmair economy, trading partners did not cross the borders for fear of skirmish and the Aelfin refused to put to port. The Drussi, however, made much profit during this time from various assassinations and the black market that sprang from the Taigmair misfortune. A substantial portion of Taigmair's wealth was lost during the civil war. Historians and scholars estimate that the civil war continued for 4 years. Much of the details will never be known and the time borth prior and during the war produced little documentation. After the 4 years of war the cessasion of hostilities was almost instant. This has lead to the theory that the civil war was entirely orchestated by the Falika Magii. However this seems unlikely; it is more commonly believed that negotiations had been underway for the previous years and an agreed date was set upon as the end of hostilities. The Falika Magii decreed that they were now the absolute power. The new gods they had brought with them were the true way and that followers of the old ideas of the council were defunct. The old gods held no sway in this new realm. Over the years, the population of the Taig lost faith in the old ways - whether due to true belief or fear of reprisal from the Falika Magii. The old gods faded from history and memory, only a few names survived, as can be seen in the knowledge of temples of Dinac and Ulfac. The powers of the new gods were evidently not fully based on faith and belief, While there were aspect of worship involved, the basis of this new religion focused on mortal pursuits. This was the begining of the New Gods or Ng era. First Among All Of Us This was the title given to the ruler of the region of Taigmair. Unlike the previous system, the ruler was elected by the Falika Magii and ruled for life. The First Among All of Us then became a hereditary title, after a single family of Falika Magii ruled in succession. Their own family surname was supplanted by "First," thus their provinence was is not known. The land of the Taig had passed its prime; trade was non-existant and the land, while unified in name, was kept together only out of fear of what the Falika Magii were able to do. Banners sworn to a Falika Magii were known to switch to a more powerful benefactor at the drop of a hat and internecine conflicts were commonplace among the different powerbases. The cities changed demographically, sometimes irrevocably. Illagmem's fall from grace was the greatest. Previously a stronghold of belief, the great slaughter and ravaging of the city left it as a graveyard, devoid of all life and unable to rise from it's poisoned wreckage. Magicks worked on the structures lurked, ready to tear an unscrupulous scavenger limb from limb. The decay of time ravaged Illagmem and within fifty years the city was entirely uninhabited and crumbling. The other cities barely held onto their status as "cities." Their populations shifted dramatically and frequently with the flux of Banners. The grand temple of Aigshot was repurposed as the personal palace of the First and was thus saved from many of the ravages of the new gods, yet the once great city could never recover the grandieur it once possessed. The region of Taigmair, whilst emerging from the civil war alive, no longer held the grace and natural beauty that had shaped its being. Outside Powers. The year 206 Ng saw the first outside intervention in the Taig since the Aelfin ceased their trading. It was noted that over the course of a month, several large ships skirted the coast on the Aigshot coast. In the summer cycle of 206 Ng, eighteen large vessels beached themselves on the coast near Aigshot and a large force of approximately 2000 men on horse marched on the imperial city. Inside the city, the Banners turned on each other once more, accusing enemy households of hiring these outsiders. Confusion followed and the city fell into the foreigner's grasp with ease. The Falika Magiis grew desperate and reached out to their gods, only to find their access blocked. As the foreigners drew near to the imperial palace, a pall of inaccessability to the gods flooded ahead of them; Falika who hours before had been able to rip the ground from under men's feet now struggled to split a pebble in two. The new comers had no Magii of their own, their confusion was noted when they eventually encountered the Magii. However, they knew of a power just as great that they themselves were fleeing. A plague had befallen their own lands, it had torn their realm into pieces and they had fled to this new land to ride it out. Their brothers, they said, were spreading all over the known world to find safety. Little did they know they were the cause of the spreading pox. The Lost Ones. Soon the Falika Magii and the Banners in other citys had formed a force of significant enough strength to threaten the foreigners. It appeared that, with enough of their strength located together, the Falika were able to access atleast some of their gods power and so the last great battle where gods would play a part was fought. The walls were torn down and as the foreigners, flying a flag of red on which a white crow stood proud in the center, sallyed forth to face the assembled troops they were torn limb from limb, their own blood boiled in their veins, muscles rebeling against their masters, organs simply failing. The charge hit the shields of the Banners in a tide of effluence and death. So few were killed by the actual battle on the Banners and Falika Magii side, yet these people were inevetably sentenced to death by the dieses carried in the blood that clogged the air around them. The Banners and the Falika Magii left for their respective towns, a pall of confusion hung over them as the Falika Magii tried and failed to talk to their gods, to find some way to accessing them once more. It was not to be. From this day forth the plague of disbelief had found its root in the Taig it would affect every member of society from the First himself down to the lowest nightsoilman. During the plague Almost the entirerity of the plague years go unrecorded. The population is decimated by the malady and the power of the Falika Magii is broken. These years are known as During Plague or "Dp" in the calander. It is commonly given a total of 18 years of anarchy. During this time even the banners could not protect their people, but eventually, as all illnesses do, it petered out. After the plague After Plague is the title given a number of years after the plague. Scholars argue over exact dates for this but the common convention is 32 years. Because of the state of society at the begining of Ap 1 and the convulsions during the Ap years little is known for certain. What we assume is that following the plague the banners decided that it was their turn to rule. Civil war gripped the Taig for the entire span of the After Plague years. This was not the only thing the banners decided to do though. Many of the more northen settlements of the modern Taig were first settled during this era. Banners provided the funds to sub banners for them to settle in the north hoping to hit it rich on veins of metal or jewels. Some banners even funded these expeditions because they heard there was still access to the gods in the north. Of course these expeditions did not go unopposed, the wilds in the north had now been home to the Northmen for generations and they were not about to be pushed out of their homes once again. IT was during this time that the plainmen discovered the Cloed Stones that the Northmen used to call forth magicks their gods had gifted them with, though it was many years before they truely began to understand them. The modern age We now find ourselves in the modern age. It has been called many things by many people. It would appear that history will not us down as the age of the split kingdoms. The Main banners have torn this singe kingdom into their own personal fifedoms, the north has fallen to the barbarians and there are whisperings of a rightful heir to the Falika Magii in the east.